International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. With only around 5% of software developers being women, we wanted to use today to celebrate one of our female developers, Viktoriia Petrova!
We asked Viktoriia all about her experiences in the tech industry and what it’s like to be a female software developer.
When did you first become interested in coding?
“For some time in my life, I didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career. I had always loved puzzles and riddles, but I didn’t know much about coding.
When my partner joined a coding boot camp, I had a look and found it interesting too. I decided to try FreeCodeCamp, and naturally, I was charmed by programming.
I am very thankful that I made the right decision to wait for finding my true passion, and despite my logical mind, I believe that it was fate for me to end up doing this as a career!”
How did you get into coding?
“I joined a part-time coding boot camp called Manchester Codes. It was a perfect option for me as I could work and study simultaneously.”
What’s it like to get into the coding industry as a woman?
“Personally, I found the Tech community to be very supportive. There is so much encouragement for women to join the industry - Tech events for women, financial support or discounts.”
Why is it important for women to learn code?
“I think many women can be passionate about programming. After all, the first coder was a woman - Ada Lovelace. There is perhaps a stereotype about the Tech industry that you have to be a geeky introvert and extremely smart, which may make many women think that it is not possible for them - it is totally not true. Moreover, the Tech industry needs to have more women as technology is used by all kinds of people, so good tech should be a product of diverse ideas.”
Have you faced any career challenges so far?
“Perhaps every day. That is the life of a web developer. Every day you may get stuck on something, and it is normal. Everybody does. Just remember that it is nothing wrong with not understanding something straight away and that it is okay to ask for help.”
What advice would you give other women wanting to start their careers in coding?
“Believe in yourself first of all! Build your confidence by studying and building projects as much as you can - then you will know that you are the best candidate and that you are a valuable addition to any team.
Secondly, you are not alone - the Tech community has the friendliest and the most supportive people. There are so many Tech events, support and encouragement to get into coding. I can’t recommend it enough to get involved in them!”